n the by-elections held on November 23 for National Assembly constituencies NA-96 and NA-104 and Provincial Assembly constituencies PP-98, PP-115 and PP-116, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz secured a clear victory.

Alongside other contributing factors, the Christian community of Faisalabad played a significant role in this win, particularly in NA-96 (Jaranwala) and PP-115 (Faisalabad City), where the community has a significant vote bank.

This support is reflected in the fact that, despite low voter turnout, the PML-N candidates in NA-96 and PP-115 received more votes in the by-elections than they did during the February 2024 general elections. In contrast, PML-N candidates in the remaining three constituencies received fewer votes compared to the general elections.

In the February 2024 polls, with nearly a 50 per cent turnout, the PML-N candidate from NA-96 had secured 92,504 votes. In the recent by-election, despite a turnout of only 26.46 per cent, the PML-N candidate obtained 93,009 votes. Similarly, in PP-115, PML-N’s Mian Tahir Jamil received 39,365 votes in 2024 with a 50 per cent turnout, while in the by-election he secured 49,046 votes with a turnout of just 22.73 per cent. Meanwhile, in NA-104, PP-98 and PP-116, the PML-N candidates received 43 per cent, eight per cent and seven per cent fewer votes, respectively, compared to the general election.

It is worth noting that, due to the lack of justice for those responsible for the Jaranwala riots following allegations of desecration of the Holy Quran on August 16, 2023, as well as the non-payment of compensation to victims, the Christian community had initially announced a boycott of the by-elections. The community had also been holding a sit-in protest for nearly three months, beginning August 16, to mark two years since the Jaranwala tragedy, both in Christian Town, Jaranwala, and at Pinto Ground in Warispura, the largest Christian locality in Faisalabad city.

However, a week before polling, the community decided to end both the boycott and the sit-in and publicly announced their support for PML-N candidates. This shift came after the efforts of Senator Sardar Khalil Tahir Sandhu, a former provincial minister for minority affairs. Accompanied by Bilal Badar, brother of Minister of State for Interior Affairs Talal Chaudhry and the PML-N candidate for NA-96, and by Mian Tahir Jamil, the PML-N candidate for PP-115, Sandhu personally visited both protest camps. There, he assured the participants that a reassessment committee would be formed to review assistance for the victims of the Jaranwala tragedy and that the relevant cases would be reinvestigated.

“It was a catastrophic incident. 27 churches, countless copies of the Bible and dozens of homes were burned and looted. No meaningful investigation has taken place since. No one is willing to hear us. It seems that any group or party can carry out such attacks and fear no consequenes,” Shakil Bhatti, a member of the Minority Rights Movement and one of the victims of the Jaranwala riots, told The News on Sunday.

Discussing the court proceedings, he said that in FIR No 78/23, the judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court had asked the complainant about the maal-i-muqadma (case property). “When the complainant said that this was the police’s responsibility,” Shakil said, “the judge threatened to send him to jail. If this is the attitude of the judges, where are people like us supposed to go for justice?”

The survivor also said that the victims had not been informed about the investigation officers assigned to their cases. “Also, the judge sealed his own FIR and four others filed by different victims, leaving them in complete uncertainty,” he said.

Shakil said he had visited the RPO’s office 15 to 20 times, requesting that the investigation team be changed, but nothing had happened.

About the committee formed to assess and compensate the losses, Shakil noted that neither the victims nor other stakeholders were made party to the process. Compensation was distributed on a per-house basis instead of per-family as promised, depriving many victims of the assistance they were entitled to.

“Many of the affected houses had two, three, even four families living under one roof,” he explained. “They were all counted as a single household. As a result, most of them neither received full compensation nor a sense of justice.”

According to Shakil, no elected representative has supported the Christian community in the two years since the attacks.

Khalil Tahir Sandhu that, despite the low turnout, it was largely due to Christian voters that the PML-N candidates received more votes in these two constituencies in the by-elections, compared to the February 2024 general elections. “This clearly shows that the Christian voters of both constituencies fulfilled their promise. It is our responsibility now to make sure that the commitments made to them are honoured.”

“Those who appeared in court claiming to provide us with legal aid also failed us,” he added. “They should be asked whose interests they were actually serving.”

He expressed cautious optimism regarding the recent assurances made by Khalil Tahir Sandhu on behalf of the government, promising justice and promised compensation for victims.

“He belongs to our community. He has previously served as the provincial minister for minorities. He personally knows the details of this tragedy and those responsible,” Shakil said. “If even he cannot ensure justice, then the despair of the Christian community will only deepen. Our people already feel like second-class citizens.”

Senator Sandhu told TNS that he would follow through with his commitment to the community and raise the issue of the Jaranwala tragedy in the next session of the Senate. The senator also said that his priority would be to demand a reinvestigation of all related cases and to ensure that every affected family receives the compensation earlier announced by the government.

“Bilal Badar, the newly elected MNA from NA-96, and Mian Tahir Jamil, the newly elected MPA from PP-115, have also pledged that this will be the first issue they take up after taking oath,” he said.

Sandhu said that, despite the low turnout, it was largely due to Christian voters that the PML-N candidates had received more votes in these two constituencies in the by-elections, compared to the February 2024 general elections.

“This clearly shows that the Christian voters of both constituencies fulfilled their promise. It is our responsibility now to make sure that the commitments made to them are honoured.”

He said that the delay in convicting those accused in the Jaranwala raised a question on the quality of police investigations.

“In the report submitted to the Supreme Court, the police identified several individuals it said were responsible for the violence. Yet, trial courts acquitted many of the suspects. This is why we are insisting on a transparent reinvestigation of these cases.”

He added that, under Article 25 of the constitution, all Pakistanis are equal citizens. The government, he said, would ensure that the perpetrators of the Jaranwala tragedy were punished according to the law and that all victims who have not yet received compensation are made the payments they were promised.

Naseem Anthony, a social activist, emphasised that the spirit of “leave no one behind” demanded an environment where social inclusion is guaranteed particularly through the electoral process.

He argued that genuine political participation, rather than “symbolic representation,” was the most effective tool for breaking stereotypes between communities and strengthening social cohesion.

In the context of the Jaranwala tragedy, Anthony said that political engagement can have a healing effect by ensuring justice, holding perpetrators accountable and signalling that the state is committed to protecting all its citizens.

Reflecting on the Jaranwala case, Anthony said that, while government authorities and civil society acted promptly to offer relief, justice remained elusive.

Despite clear video evidence, he said, several key suspects secured bail. He said this had emboldened extremist elements to continue spreading hate without consequence. He stressed that fast-tracking prosecutions, curbing hate speech and providing strong witness protection were essential steps toward restoring community trust.

Anthony also highlighted discrimination against minority citizens, especially in employment. “Structural bias,” he said, “strips minorities of their dignity and reinforces the perception that they are second-class citizens.” He criticised narrow interpretations of national identity that portray minorities as outsiders, despite their deep historical roots in Pakistan.

Anthony demanded enforcement of anti-discrimination policies, merit-based employment and an education system that recognises minorities as equal contributors to the nation’s history and progress.

The writer has been associated with journalism for the past decade. He tweets @naeemahmad876